


Forever Yours

by Nenesh30



Category: Little Women (2019), Little Women Series - Louisa May Alcott
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Developing Relationship, Eventual Romance, F/M, Not Actually Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:00:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23055121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nenesh30/pseuds/Nenesh30
Summary: Modern Retelling of Amy and Laurie getting together inspired by BoleynQueen.
Relationships: Theodore Laurence/Amy March
Comments: 79
Kudos: 195





	1. Even time couldn’t take you from me (Amy POV)

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Everything changes in Paris](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22574569) by [BoleynQueen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BoleynQueen/pseuds/BoleynQueen). 



> This is the first time i'm ever posting anything, please feel free to comment and I promise i take criticism well just please don't be mean. I hope you enjoy.

Amy was grateful for the opportunities that were blessed onto her, but today was one of the days where it truly weighed on her. Just being able to attend the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris was an honor in itself, but she couldn’t help but feel like an imitation artist in the presence of so many genius art aficionados. The Wolfgang Beltracchi1 to their Picasso, it wasn’t that she wasn’t talented, her talent just seemed to have limits. Madame Pauline had reassured her that she had a beautiful talent for the arts, but lacked the emotional depth required to truly reach her audience and in turn assure her success as an artist. She had concluded this observation by saying that one day it would come to her. That assessment left Amy feeling determined and dejected at the same time. It was days like this where she truly missed her family. It’s not like she could call and complain, she was living a wonderful life here and any other notion would be a slap in their faces. She did call them weekly though, which helped regulate her mood. Just last week, Jo and her had spent a wonderful few hours talking about her new stories and her explaining the different styles of art that she had learned.

She always loved hearing Jo talk about the stories that she was conceptualizing; it gave her a break from her own problems. Jo was currently in New York working in a publishing House. She was learning the ins and outs of the system to hopefully smooth her transition from editor to author. Talking to Beth was like taking a breath of fresh air, it filled her soul like no other could. Beth was actually becoming a nurse at the hospital that had treated her Leukemia; Amy was extremely proud of her sister who had overcome so much hardship and was still standing strong. Her and Meg rarely had time to chat, her two little ones kept her so busy that she barely had time for much else. The two munchkins were growing up much too felt and she felt like she was missing so much of their lives and that made her quite sad. At least they knew who she was, she counted her blessings as they came. Unfortunately, Laurie did not keep in contact with any of the sisters after Jo had rejected his proposal. One day he was there and suddenly he was gone; Mr. Lawrence had said to give the boy some time to come back but would not provide any information on his whereabouts. Even he seemed to be running out of patience for Laurie, he wanted him to come home and help with the family business. She missed him dearly although she did make peace with life changing the way it did.

Shaking herself out of her musings and her pity party, she headed towards the Eiffel Tower where she was schedule to meet her friends, Elaine and Aimee to practice some sketching. The tower was only a twenty-five-minute bus ride from the school; it made it the best Friday afternoon hang out spot for her and her peers. She absolutely adored the bus ride on the way to the tower, the sites were truly otherworldly, especially during the Fall. The Spring time was no different although it was a little muggy, thankfully though this afternoon was perfect. The sun was shining, people were moving about leisurely; it truly was the most romantic picture that she was itching to capture on canvas. It was like having rose colored glasses permanently stuck to her face, Paris just made her feel like she was living on a cloud. The best part about living with Aunt March was that she lived in an area called Saint-Germain-Des-Pres2 and it always felt alive; there were shops all around the most mouthwatering pastries, the most seductive music, singers had a siren quality to their voices and best of all it was walking distance from her school. Paris really did live up to its reputation of being the most romantic city in the world, not that she knew anything about the world of romance, she could only imagine this was what love embodied.

As a youth, her head was filled with fairytale princes coming to rescue her; she had the most whimsical ideas of love, to her love meant being able to withstand all the trials and tribulations of the mythical world and stand tall. She smiled softly at the memory of young Amy, oh how wrong she was about love; that girl believed love to be a dream but now she knew that love was a battlefield one that she had yet to conquer. She had practically given her whole heart to Laurie from the day that she met him, she had convinced herself that it was puppy love and that she would grow out of it. As the years passed that love only seemed to grow and morph into something much stronger that to her dismay, looking back on it now she felt utterly foolish. She wasted so many years begging the divine to make him fall in love with her only to watch him worship Jo, obviously she was crushed but she could never hate Jo or even Laurie for that matter. Her only regret was wasting so much time loving him that she never looked at anyone else, she felt a little weird that at twenty-two years old she had never had any interactions with a boy beyond friendship. She couldn’t really blame anyone but herself for this, despite that she decided that she would primarily focus on her studies and make something of herself so that she could support her family. Love really wasn’t high on her priority list.

Her musings were cut short by the announcement of her stop, Amy quickly made her way out of the bus and walked out towards the Jardins du Trocadero3 where her friends and her had planned to meet, they usually met near the stairs that faced the whole garden, the wall of peace and had an excellent view of the Eiffel Tower. “Amy, ma chère, on est ici,” 4 she heard Elaine call out, she scanned the area for her friends, she really must be distracted today because for the life of her she could not see them.

Finally, she managed to catch elaine waving at her with both of her arms, she made her way towards them and stood beside the both of them and had to ask out of fear of being rude, “Did you guys wait long for me?”

“Non, non, we just came here early,” exclaimed Elaine to ease her mind, Amy sighed in relief.

Elain continued on, “Sit, ma belle, we have an outing to enjoy,” Amy smiled warmly at her two friends and sat in between them; she promptly pulled out her materials so that she could catch up to them. They all worked in agreeable silence, only the hustle and bustle of the city speaking to them, it filled her heart with so much joy to be here within this moment. She took a moment to stare at the Eiffel Tower and decided to sketch the whole view in front of her rather than just the tower. She started humming la Vie en Rose to get her in the right spirits and felt herself getting lost in her work.

Shortly after the silence had been broken by Aimee, “Amy, mon ami5, Fred is asking about you.” She stated looking at Amy with hopeful yet fearful eyes, but Amy was too engrossed in her work to pay any attention to what her friend had told her.

Not one to be deterred she waved her hand in front of Amy’s eyes to try and grab her attention. “Tu m’écoute6?” she asked all the while resorting to tapping Amy on the shoulder.

Amy made a non-committal noise and shrugged, Aimee took that as a sign and continued on, “Fred would like to, um, comment tu-dis7, … um,” she paused and arched her brow in confusion as she tried to recall the appropriate words.

Elaine interjected helping their friend out, “What she means to say is that Fred is interested in going out on a date with you.”

She gently turned Amy’s face towards her and forced her to pay attention to them. Amy pursed her lips before she could reply Elaine had to add another comment, “Cherie, not to be so forward but you haven’t shown any interest in anyone.” Amy rose her brow in confusion the conversation seemed to be taking an odd turn, “Oui, are they no good enough?” Aimee had asked cocking her head to the side, “or are you not interested in men,” she continued.

Elaine did not want Amy to feel offended so she added, “We do not wish to offend you but you seem so lonely.” Amy smiled warmly at the two, with friends like these it was like her sisters were here with her.

“Honestly, there is nothing wrong with Fred, I just don’t know how I feel about him. He is familiar to me because of my childhood friend but I just don’t really feel anything for him. He feels safe and I feel like my heart is not letting me open up to anyone.” She confessed, if she was truly honest though it wasn’t that Fred did not interest her, it was just that she didn’t want to be in another situation where she fell for someone only to fall short.

In any case, Fred had no interest in her, she had seen the way his eyes tracked Aimee and he definitely was trying to make her jealous. “Aimee, we both know that Fred only has eyes for you, he keeps finding excuses to be around you. Let’s not kid ourselves, he doesn’t know how to talk to you so he’s resorting to these childish antics.” She laughed boisterously at the odd behavior she had witnessed, she called out Aimee good-naturedly for her lack of candor, “I’m pretty sure you reciprocate those feelings.”

Amy knocked their shoulders together and Aimee blushed beet red at being caught, Elaine laughed out at their antics and shook her head and encouraged their friend “Aimee, Elle a raison, tu devrais le faire.8”

“If it isn’t little Amy March.” A very familiar voice called out. She whipped her head up in response to the voice and squinted her eyes to get a better look at who called out to her. The moment her eyes landed on him she jumped up in joy and dropped all her materials and ran out to him.

She couldn’t contain her excitement and launched herself into his arms giggling, “Oh my goodness, Laurie I’ve missed you,” she exclaimed breathlessly. Laurie laughed catching her with ease and squeezing her extra hard, Amy couldn’t help but bury her head into his shoulder and sigh in contentment. She inhaled the patented Laurie smell and basked into the moment; she didn’t want to let go. Amy never knew she could miss someone this much; it was like her heart finally felt like hers and not a stranger residing in her chest.

As much as she wanted to stay in the moment forever, she knew she would have to let go of him, Amy reluctantly loosened her arms and slid her feet to the ground, Laurie kept holding onto her arms. “Laurie, what are you doing here?”

Once she had come back to the present, the fog in her brain cleared and she realized that there were three boys standing behind him looking at them in varying degrees of amusement making her rosy cheeks turn a darker shade of red, even her friends had gotten up and stood behind her trying to piece together what on earth was happening. Laurie paid them no mind, “We are here on holiday for the weekend, and then we are back to London to continue our studies.”

Amy wanted to keep Laurie with her and find out all about what he’s been up to, she didn’t feel like it would be right to take away his time from his friends. She doubted he even wanted to spend to with her, she knew that seeing her would remind him of Jo and she hated that any association to her would cause him pain. She thought it best to quickly wish him a found goodbye and make plans at a later date. On the other hand, she really wanted to monopolize his time has soon as possible. Thankfully, her department was throwing a party tomorrow night in honor of their works of art getting selected to be presented at various galleries; she didn’t have any art work displayed this time but she was head of the committee that organized the whole event. If Teddy could meet her an hour before she had to present herself, they would have more than enough time to catch up.

“Well, I won’t keep you then, but please join us for a party that we’re hosting at our school tomorrow. You can pick me up at seven from aunt Marchs house.” How could Laurie say no to her? He nodded in agreement and walked away with his friends.

Amy couldn’t contain her giddiness, Elaine and Aimee stared at their friend knowingly, now understanding why their friend was so guarded when it came to love. “Amy, you did not introduce us to your friend,” accused Aimee, Amy smiled sheepishly ducking her head in guilt wordlessly asking for forgiveness.

“I promise to tell you all about Laurie and even introduce you to him, tomorrow when we get ready for the party.” She said while starring at Laurie’s retreating figure.

Elaine knocked her foot and beckoned her to finish her sketches for the day, Amy nodded but couldn’t help but sneak anther glance at Laurie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Wolfgang Beltracchi is a famous art imitator, he made quite a bit by selling fake paintings.  
> 2\. Saint-Germain-Des-Pres is an affluent part of Paris  
> 3\. Jardins du Trocadero is a garden that faces the Eiffel tower where people often go before making their way to the tower.  
> 4\. On est Ici means we are here.  
> 5\. Mon ami means my male friend.  
> 6\. tu m'ecoute means are you listening  
> 7\. Comment tu-dis means how do you say  
> 8\. Elle a raison, tu devrais le faire, means she's right and you should do it.


	2. Even time couldn’t take you from me (Laurie POV)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the support. I won't be able to work on another chapter until the weekend so please be patient. I hope you guys enjoy!!!

Laurie was relieved that his friends suggested spending the week in Paris, he couldn’t help but feel caged, everything around him felt suffocating and he wanted to escape it. No matter how many warm bodies kept him company at night, how much alcohol he drowned his body with, or even the amount of cigarette smoke he inhaled could shake the emptiness that Jo’s rejection left. He couldn’t eat, he couldn’t sleep, he couldn’t even be awake properly because of her. Two years and an ocean apart couldn’t even shake the pain that she left, he was a twenty-six-year-old shell of a man and couldn’t pull himself together even if he wanted to. He was content studying for his masters at the University of London, at least it kept his grandfather off of his case and kept him far away from Jo. She constantly and consistently tried to reach him, she left calls, text messages, emails, she even wrote him letters that his grandfather would forward to him; he could never bring himself to even look at anything she wrote. If he was being honest with himself, he hated the fact that he loved her but he hated how easy it was to forget that he had loved her; he couldn’t help but hold on to the pain as tightly as he could, holding on to the pain was how he could prove that he truly did love her. He loved her, damn it, he loves her. He groaned, his heart never seemed to agree with him and it really was pissing him off, he refused to forget her.

Rhydian poured more beer into his cup and knocked his glass to grab his attention, “Mate, I dunno where you went off to, but we have an hour left before we land in Paris.”

“Thanks for the beer.” He tipped his glass in gratitude and took a sip.

“Alright, game plan lads, we have a week of no strings attached fun. Let’s make it count, aye.” His roommate Wilhelm cheered. Laurie smirked in his direction; he was right they were going to make the most of this trip even if it meant getting black out drunk.

“I swear, I’m leaving you guys if you puke.” Roman promised, Laurie laughed as he specifically remembered the time where Roman had to drag him home from this girl’s house and he ended up puking all over him. “I’m looking at you Laurie, I swear I will leave you.”

Wilhelm laughed, “Your work wife is unhappy with you.” Roman glared at their friend. “If anyone is anyone’s work wife, I’m pretty sure you’re mine Rhydian.”

Rhydian raised his glass, “Damn, straight.”

Laurie smirked and stared at “I don’t think we were invited to their wedding Wilhelm.” His comment generated a good laugh amongst his friends.

Rhydian interrupted their laughter with mock seriousness, “Alright lads, game plan, tonight, yes this Friday night we are going to drink till we drop dead, but before that we are passing by the Eiffel tower around sunset because my sister wanted a picture. Say aye if you agree.” The boys shouted aye in unison and settled down to enjoy the last half hour of their flight.

Laurie shut his eyes and forced memories of Jo to the forefront of his mind; his favorite memory of them is the day they met, she a absolutely refused to dance at their homecoming dance and she had kidnapped him into the cafeteria where they danced like morons for the whole night, it was also the night when he found out they were neighbors. She wore this red dress that didn’t suit her at all but she was still beautiful, he found out later that she abhorred jewelry so she had foregone it at Meg’s annoyance. He laughed in his head, how headstrong his writer was, she often was challenged gender roles and fought her way through obstacles, they were foolishly happy together. Sometimes he wondered why she failed to see that.

He tilted his head upwards as the plane announced their arrival at Charles de Gaulle airport, “Bienvenue, mes amis.” He said softly to himself, he was looking forward to wasting his days away.

Once they landed, Laurie had ordered a cab which would take them to the Lawrence estate that his grandfather had inherited a long time ago, his grandparents had lived there for a few years after retirement. It was a beautiful mix of empire and Victorian architecture, it truly was a work of art, his grandfather had revealed to him once upon a time that his ancestors who originally purchased the home were English and although they admired the Parisienne style they wanted a piece of England with them, so they had married the two to create what he now considered their vacation home. Laurie never flaunted his wealth but in times like this it came in handy, he never had to worry about booking a hotel or renting a car, his family had spent a significant amount of time vacationing here that it truly was like a second home to him. His French had also improved to the point of even being able to confuse the native.

Once they settled in Laurie ordered them a car to take them to the Wall of peace in front of the Eiffel tower. Because his friends have never been to Paris, he was acting like their guide, and he knew Rhydian’s sister would not be happy if he failed to get her a picture; she was a sweet girl she reminded him of Amy. He had such fond memories of Amy, he remembers her being a spitfire, she had a smile that could render a room speechless even Jo couldn’t resist her smile. Jo had told him that when she eleven she made a mold of her foot for him and got it stuck, she was a really cute girl. That girl would some day rule the world, and he would gladly follow her; his lips upturned in memory of her, “What’s got you so chipper,” Roman asked while side eyeing him.

“Rhydian’s sister reminds me of a girl that I used to know,” leaning his head back he waited for Roman to inevitably asked who she was, deciding to cut him off before he spoke, “Before you ask, she is Jo’s little sister.”

The car suddenly turned silent. They all were well aware of the Jo story, and in all the years that they knew him he had never once mentioned Jo since that drunken confession of his years ago. Ignoring his friends, he described Amy to them, “She was this little ball of energy, she was never ashamed of the things she said even when they sounded cocky; she said that she would never apologize for saying what she wanted out loud … Do you guys remember Fred,” the three nodded their heads in affirmation, “The first time she met him she told him to wait for her because one day she would come find him.”

The memory forced a laugh out his throat that girl never failed to make life interesting, “So, basically she was the kid sister you never had,” Wilhelm added, Laurie agreed. “I mean if just thinking about her makes you smile, she must be interesting,” Roman wiggled his brows, Laurie made a face and scrunched up his nose, “Dude, it’s not like that.” They didn’t seem convinced, but what did they know Amy would always be like his little sister.

Thankfully the car had stopped at their destination before they could make the conversation take a weird turn. He walked behind his friends as they made their way to the wall, he had already seen the sights many times and wanted to let his friends enjoy for a little while, but he would make sure that Rhydian’s little sister got good quality pictures. He sat the on the grass and watched his friends goof off, he quite liked Paris at this time of year, it was absolutely beautiful; he was convinced one could lose themselves in Paris and never want to be found.

He looked up from the ground and noticed a frown on his friend’s face, “What’s the matter?” Rhydian contemplated for a bit, “I don’t think these pictures are any good, they don’t really capture the aesthetic that my sister wants.” Rhydian continued to look through his pictures and was less satisfied with each swipe of his phone. “What exactly is she looking for?”

Laurie stoop up on his feet and inch closer to his friend, he analyzed each of the photos he saw his friend looking at but could not see any problem with them; Rhydian caught on to his friend’s confusion and explained, “Whenever my sister shows me pictures of the Eiffel tower, she shows me the proposal pictures. You know the ones on this staircase and it’s this golden looking building and he has the perfect view of the tower. Her favorite is the one taken during a sunset.”

Laurie understood what his friend was talking about, “We need to walk up the gardens the place your talking about is there, you’ll get the perfect picture.” Rhydian called out to the other two and they began walking up, giddy like children they all pushed and shoved one another while Rhydian ignored them and continued to document everything he was seeing.

As they reached the end Laurie watched his friends rush up the stairs and planted themselves in the ideal spot and started taking a bunch of pictures, he stood behind them and carefully looked at the tower, they had picked the ideal time to come, the area wasn’t crowded so they could enjoy an uninterrupted view. Wilhelm had gotten distracted by something and walked up to him, he paid him no mind figuring he just got bored, but he started smacking his arm. He arched up his brow and silently demanded what the hell his problem was, Wilhelm pointed his eyes toward a curly haired brunette that was sketching; he was confused as to why Wilhelm pointed her out, she was beautiful there was no denying it, but she has typical Parisienne features there was nothing unique about her and she didn’t seem like his type at all. Their silence caught the attention of the other two, who also took a look in the direction they were staring at. Roman caught onto what had caught Wilhelm’s but noticed that Laurie remained clueless, he knocked his arm and pointed out the blonde that was sitting right next to her. He couldn’t properly see her face but noticed right away she was wearing a baby blue off the shoulder sun dress that accentuated her figure in a very tasteful way but equally unassumingly sexy; the dress hugged her chest and her waist but flowed elegantly below her hips from the angle he was looking at, she wore nude colored Tom Ford heels that delicately circled her ankle, she had dainty feet. Her hair was golden as the sun with naughty shadows hiding in between and a cute upturned nose, wispy lashes that playfully brushed her skin as she blinked; she was a diamond among mortals and he had yet to see her face. It took him a moment but the familiarity of this woman hit him directly in the face; his chest dropped to his stomach and his breath shortened, there was only one person he knew with a birthmarked shaped like two hearts intertwined. He literally spent a full five minutes checking out little Amy March or so he believed. “That’s the girl I’m spending the week with in Paris,” Wilhelm exclaimed with pure determination, a white-hot rage seared his stomach, there was no way I hell these heathens would dare get close to her, he even surprised himself with how violently the words ripped out of his mouth, “There is no way any of you will touch that girl, I swear if will rip out your heart myself if you do.”

His friends looked taken aback at his visceral reaction, they had never seen him act like that, they didn’t know what to say they were rendered speechless. The haze cleared a bit with the silence and he noticed the dumbfounded expression on their faces, he ducked his head sheepishly at his behavior, “That’s Amy March.” The boys widened their eyes comically and nodded their heads in understanding.

He could no longer contain himself and made his way over to her with his friends following behind, “If it isn’t little Amy March.” He watched her look around in confusion and smiled tenderly the moment she caught his eyes. He laughed as she ran up to him and launched herself in his arms.

“Oh, my goodness, Laurie I’ve missed you,” she exclaimed breathlessly, Laurie laughed catching her with ease and squeezing her extra hard, his heart constricted with joy and pain and held onto her as tightly as he could.

She led go a few moments later and slid down to her feet, he refused to let her go and held her arms in his hands. “Laurie, what are you doing here?” She asked breathlessly, cocking her head to the side, he found her so endearing.

“We are here on holiday for the weekend, and then we are back to London to continue our studies.” He responded, she brightened and his statement and quickly parted with these words, “Well, I won’t keep you then, but please join us for a party that we’re hosting at our school tomorrow. You can pick me up at seven from aunt Marchs house.”

He was disappointed that she left so right after saying that not even giving him a moment to bask in her presence, he watches her run off to her friends and tried to contain the whiplash she just gave him. Roman couldn’t help but ruin the moment for him, “That girl is a wrecking ball, didn’t even give us a moment. I like her.” The other two nodded in agreement, all Laurie could do was stare dumbly at her, little Amy grew up and as happy as he was that confused the hell out of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I welcome any suggestion or requests.


	3. Waiting for the Rain (Amy POV)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, It's been crazy on account what's happening all around the world. I had to focus on getting my school in order. I'm trying to write some more chapters. With that being said, make sure you guys wash your hands, avoid touching your face in public, don't go out if you're sick, cut your nails so you can wash your hands properly. Stay safe!!

Aunt March always took very good care of the March family after their father had run off leaving Marmee to work day and night to provide for them. Of course, Mr. Lawrence helped as much as he could, but Marmee absolutely refused any help from anyone. Aunt March had to pull her teeth just to be able to offer any sort of assistance, but now that the girls were older, they made sure to send Marmee more than enough money so she could rest after all the she had done. Aunt March was the most generous person she knew, everyone loved her but she still had her quirks and she absolutely refused to get married and share her fortune with someone non-deserving. She was the one who encouraged her to apply for the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and offered to pay her tuition and make sure she would want for nothing. Even the room she gave her was nothing short of stunning, it had a walking in closet, a beautiful bathroom and even a nook. The door was a beautiful walnut panel trimmed door when you opened it directly opposite to the door revealed a fairly large room with picture windows that spanned the length of the wall, they were designed in such a way that they kept in theme with the Victorian style of the house. In the left-hand corner of the room there was a nook that she used to paint, it had the most amazing view of the city and the most interesting things to paint. The bed was her favorite thing about the room, it was huge and oh so comfy; she was going to miss this room when they left.

Meg was an extremely talented designer whose shop was thriving, she had quickly become an award-winning designer sought out by many big companies but she refused to leave her own brand. She was the reason they all could go pursue their dreams and was the one who inspired them to follow their dreams and make enough money to support Marmee. She made sure it was a family business and often used Marmee as a model for her clothing boutique, she was quite beautiful at the age of fifty, Meg made the most wonderful clothes that brought out all the beauty that Marmee possessed. Every model that worked with her swore that her clothes were magical, every piece of fabric, every thread accentuated the best parts of yourself; she wished she had a Meg original tonight, she really could use the courage.

She had three dress options to choose from, but was unable to commit to any of them which made her flop down dramatically on the bed where she eyed the dresses that she had hung up on the barn door of the closet. Elaine and Aimee were supposed to come and help her tonight, but they had been called to help their other friend Blanche whose boyfriend had just dumped her and needed friends to help her wow the crowd tonight. She wanted to join them, but she had to wait for Laurie, he promised he would come pick her up and she didn’t want to miss the opportunity to spend time with him. She was in a pickle, at least her friends understood so that made her feel a little bit better, though it didn’t solve her dress conundrum and she didn’t even get the chance to tell her friends all about Laurie which made her pout. The first one was a plain little black dress that she knew was her fall back, the real issue was between the other two; a deep red gown with a skin tight halter neck that flared out at the waist, it had a lace print embossed on the whole dress in a matte material with a semi glossed tulle under, the skirt reached slightly below knee length from the front and lowered in the back where it touched her heels. The second dress was a long emerald gown that had a deep V-neck that reached two inches below her breast, held up together by thin straps, the satin dress also had a deep slit on the left leg covered by a see-through fabric. She had the choice between being more conservative or classy but slightly risky, she pursed her lips and sat up on her bed, maybe Laurie could help her decide when he showed up. Thankfully, her makeup had been done in a very natural way that accented her beauty giving her a glowing complexing and she had already settled on the gold Jimmy Choo misty sandal, she just didn’t know how she wanted to present herself tonight.

She quickly checked the time to make sure she wouldn’t miss Laurie’s arrival, she still had about half an hour so she started to face time Elaine so she could be part of their fun. Aimee actually answered her phone after a few rings, “I’m glad you called, we need help.” She cried desperately.

Elaine grabbed the phone and showed the dress options for Blanche to her; Blanche literally was like a goddess with golden skin and long model like legs. She was what Amy could only dream of being she even had the most perfect nose, she was a walking fairytale princess and she could make anything look good. “Blanche cannot decide, Amy we need you to decide she looks amazing in all the dresses she’s shown us.”

Amy stared pensively at the options and without question knew the white dress was the one. “Ladies, theirs is no other option but the white one, she will be the belle of the ball.”

“Ma belle, the red dress is magnifique, non?” Aimee asked her confused by her choice.

Amy’s lips curled up and her eyes glinted all too excited to share her insight, “It’s not about the dress, it’s about the woman. The white really brings out her complexion and the gold lace gives her a superior elegance. The red is too common.” Her friends nodded in understanding. The ladies chatted while Blanche got ready, often offering commentary to make their friend feel good about herself.

“Amy, we are going to get ready now, we will see you there.” Elaine signed off and Amy was once again left to her own devices. Looking up at the ceiling she checked once again, it was a quarter after seven; the number made her brow furrow in confusion, Laurie didn’t arrive nor did he contact her. She hoped he was okay and was just running late, but she couldn’t shake the anxiety building in the pit of her stomach; Amy shook her head and set an alarm for eight so she could put a dress on and have ample amount of time to arrive early. Sitting up she dangled her legs off of the side of the bed and reached for the tv remote, she figured instead of anxiously waiting she could distract herself with a show. She settled for Community on Amazon Prime, it was sure to distract her and she knew it would help her not focus on Laurie. Completely immersed in the show Amy did not feel the time pass at all and just as she predicted she was completely distracted.

The sound of her alarm jolted her out of her trance and she immediately felt sick to her stomach, he didn’t show up, he did not show up. She quickly made herself to the bathroom and braced herself on the sink, she swore she would not cry, she refused to let herself cry as she felt the tears escape their home and nestle themselves in the corners of her eyes. She leaned her had back hoping to stop her tears from leaving her eyes and ruining her makeup, she would not let Laurie ruin her makeup ever again, not since the night of her sophomore prom where she realized her stupid crush on Laurie would never mean anything. Leave it to Laurie to make her feel like that little girl who would always be in the shadows of her much talented older sisters, the feeling made her nauseous and her body feel heavy. She took a deep breath and willed the nausea the leave her, she felt too exposed, too vulnerable, too raw in this moment; she felt the anger fill her veins as the sickness ebbed away, no one makes Amy March wait for them. Settling her resolve, she knew she could not wear the green dress, if anything it would make her feel more vulnerable than she already was, the red dress would serve as her suit of armor for the night.

She took one quick look at her reflection, feeling satisfied with her reflection she made her way down to the car where the Aunt Marchs chauffeur waited for her. Once at her school, she took a carefully step out of the car and plastered the best fake smile she could and soldiered on into the party hall and mentally checked all the things she had left to prepare before guests arrived. Walking in she felt pride rush through her the hall was exactly was she had planned not a detail out of place gold glitter diamonds created by the art department hung from the ceiling mimicking stars falling, white chiffon fabric hung along the sides of the walls cocooning the room like a fairytale land, greenery all around giving the room a natural aspect highlighting all the art pieces on display. It was an enchanted forest for art, she was in love this room was everything and more.

The coordinator saw her admiring the hall and beckoned her over to confirm a few lingering aspects. Amy was now in boss mode, her eyes glinted in concentration making her seem more ferocious than she usually was. Time flew by and the first round of guest started arriving meaning she was relieved of her duties and could enjoy the party with her friends. Before she could start looking for her friends an acquaintance had come up and struck up a conversation with her, she refused to be rude, she sucked up her irritation and made genuine chit chat with him. He was in one of classes and was curious to know why none of her pieces were featured. She tried to discreetly look for her friends while entertaining him.

Her friends beat her to the chase and caught her before she did, Aimee saw that she was occupied deciding against interrupting her she went to survey the art work. Elaine was relieved to see Amy, scratching her head in confusion she wondered why she was not with that Laurie guy and why she was talking to a random guy that seemed way too interested in her. Amy was often ignorant to the attention she got, because no matter how old she got some part of her would always be just Amy; that wasn’t a bad thing of course but the shadows that her sisters casted was larger than she would ever dare to admit out loud. A part of her would always be that insecure little girl, Elaine had noticed it right away, she never called her out on it but she was worried that her friend would one day miss the love of her life because of her insecurities.

Elaine was getting impatient deciding to interrupt her friend and save her; Amy sighed in relief at her friends approaching them finally she could go have some fun. She politely told her acquaintance that her friends were waiting for her and left him there. “Wow, Elliott is really interested in you.” Exclaimed Aimee, Amy rolled her eyes and forced them into the dance floor with her. Aimee absolutely loved the dress Amy had on she looked like a princess but wondered why she didn’t choose the green; her and Elaine had bet she would wear the green one. “Ma belle, why did you not wear the green one.”

Amy was taken aback she didn’t expect them to ask her about it,” Um… It just felt really exposed.” The comment made her feel angry all over again at Laurie.

“Tu es belle.” Elaine added to convey their sincerity.

Amy smiled but her mood was dampened, she just wanted to go home. Thankfully, the night was about to come to its end. The bidding for the pieces had just been announced, they made their way to the back of the room where they could observe in peace.

“What happened to that Laurie guy,” Elaine asked no longer being able to wait, Amy was hoping that they wouldn’t ask but it seems like she couldn’t avoid it any longer.

Amy took a longer moment than necessary increasing Elaine’s impatience, without turning her head she took a deep breath and confessed her broken heart, “He didn’t come.”

Aimee looked so heartbroken for her, “Désolé, ma belle, you deserve better than that.” Amy hugged her; her friends were so supportive. With friends like these how could you ever be sad; she felt tears come to her eyes. “Ladies, stop it, I don’t wanna ruin my makeup.” They all giggled at that and conceded their heartwarming moment.

“Alright, nothing else is happening so I’m going to go.” Amy was drained emotionally and she needed to get in bed. Anyways the school was only a short walk from her house, she wanted to take advantage of the walk to clear her head.

Walking slowly, she took a calming breath with every step she took, she refused to spend another moment thinking about Laurie. She rounded the corner of a street and knocked into a someone; she apologized furiously and walked around the stranger. She walked around him and suddenly wished for the ground to swallow her up whole. There right in front of her from the opposite direction was Laurie and two random women supporting him walking towards the front gate; maybe if she walked into the house, he would not notice her. Making sure not to make any eye contact with him and she tried to walk by them swiftly.

But no such luck, “Amy,” Laurie yelled.

She groaned inwardly of course he saw her, if he thought she was going to be happy and nice he had another thing coming, “I waited an hour for you.”

He chuckled and swayed with the girls, “Opps, I feel caught.” He laughed a full belly laugh making her roll her eyes, “Ladies, if you please I’ll meet you later.” Amy had enough of him she needed to go to bed.

“Amy, please,” he begged.

She curled her lip up in disgust and snarled with a voice foreign to her, “Do you want to know what I honestly think of you?”

He drunkenly swayed and using his boyish charm he responded, ” What do you honestly think of me?”

“I despise you,” she said venomously.

He obviously was not taking her seriously and exclaimed with joyous wonder leaning towards her,” Why do you despise me.”

“You take everything you have for granted, with all your money, power and beauty you chose every opportunity to waste it and portray yourself as this lazy fool.”

“That’s interesting little Amy, since when do you know me so well.” He said mockingly.

“You are the most selfish man I know.” She shook her head in resignation and walked away from him, grabbing her hand he promised with an empty voice, “I’ll be good for you Saint Amy, I’ll be oh so good.”

Looking at his hand that had grabbed hers, her nostrils flared how dare he. “What a shame, your hand looks even more delicate than mine, it’s no wonder you’re so shameless. Any proud individual would be ashamed of a hand like that.” She watched as his expression started to sober, “And that ring is ridiculous.”

His expression hardened, “Jo, gave it to me.” He said while protectively clutching his hand close to his heart.

Amy ripped her hand out of his, she felt no pity for him just sadness, this man hollowed himself for nothing, “I feel sorry for you, I truly do. I just wish you wore it better instead of hollowing yourself.”

Chuckling mirthlessly, he promised that “One day, you will feel exactly like this.”

She vehemently disagreed, “If I couldn’t be loved, I’ll be damned sure I’m respected.”

He eyes glinted with revenge, “What have you done that’s so worthwhile, aside from that you’re here to get married.” He stormed off taking Amy’s heart with him.

He broke her heart once again, without even knowing.


	4. Waiting for the rain (Laurie POV)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for all the lovely comments and kudos, I really appreciate every thing that you guys do.  
> In sad news, this will probably be the last chapter until the end of April, all of my finals have been confirmed to be online.  
> Thank you guys so much and stay safe please.

Laurie groaned as he woke up with a splitting headache, he slapped his forehead hoping to stop his head pounding; he could barely recall the night before all he knew was that they kept shooting back drinks. He does remember at one point he thought his liver was going to explode, Roman might have passed out he can barely recall. After leaving Amy they went to drink themselves into a stupor which he’s pretty sure they succeeded; Wilhelm even accomplished charming some lady into taking him home for the night, the rest of them managed to make their way back. Feeling brave he got up and opened the blinds pretty much blinding himself, he groaned once again and forced himself go into the kitchen, he somehow managed to walk without stumbling even though he still felt inebriated. Thank goodness the smell of fresh croissants was saturating the air, he doubts he would have been able to find the kitchen without it, he saw Roman lying his head on the island it looked like he was sleeping and Rhydian was calmly and with a speed reminiscent of a turtle was eating his croissant. Rhydian waved at him trying not to make much noise, they all looked pretty worse for wear, Laurie knew the fix opening the fridge he grabbed three beers placing them in front of each of his friends.

“Mate, I am well and truly sloshed, I don’t think I need more alcohol.” Rhydian moaned unwilling to participate in any shenanigans, Laurie rose his brow at their weakness.

Roman raised his thumb in agreement, “I don’t know what time it is, but it’s way too early to drink.”

“Brothers, it is never too early to drink and besides it’s three in the afternoon.” Laurie smirked, hungover or not he wasn’t going to let anything slow him down but he there’s was a logic to his madness. “Drinking a beer will help with the hangover, a friend gave me this trick a long time ago, this is the first time we’ve been this shitfaced in a long time, I’ve only ever used this trick once and it worked like magic.”

His friends looked at him in disbelief, there was no way that was true; Laurie was an expert at drinking himself to stupor but that didn’t mean he was right.

Laurie raised his glass and urged them to start drinking, shrugging their shoulders they both realized they had no better idea. Within minutes they started to notice that their symptoms lessened, both of them widened their eyes in wonder.

“I’m never doubting you.” Rhydian exclaimed.

“Let’s keep the drinks coming.” Roman said while rushing towards the fridge and pulling out all the beers hat had been stocked.

“I don’t see anything wrong with that, we are on holiday.” Laurie agreed while knocking back more alcohol.

Roman looked around and realized that Wilhelm was missing, “Someone got lucky.”

Laurie nodded and Rhydian added that, “This man always finds a way.”

“That’s right ladies.” Wilhelm interrupted.

Roman launched his arms up and cheered for their friend, “I say we remake last night.”

All voted yes unanimously, it was surprisingly Wilhelm who reminded Laurie of his plans, “Aren’t you supposed to be meeting that girl tonight. I think she said seven.”

Laurie slapped his hand onto his face, “Thanks for reminding me, don’t wanna disappoint that one, she sure as hell can be a hell raiser when angry.”

“I think making a pretty girl like that cry or upset guarantees you a spot in hell.” Roman added while chugging the rest of his beer. Rhydian and Wilhelm agreed, they even urged him to set a reminder on his phone.

“Guys I won’t forget, that doesn’t mean we can’t start partying early. Afterall we are still on holiday.”

Wilhelm shrugged, “Can’t complain with that.” The other two didn’t seem too sure, “Look I’m sure Laurie knows how to manage his time.” He looked at his watch and noticed that it was only four thirty, “and he has more than enough time to make it there; so, go get fresh and let’s go paint the town.”

Wilhelm was the only influence needed to forget than less than ideal state, with renewed energy they all rushed to go get dressed. Laurie leading the charge made it to his room first, he was ready to forget all about everything; Amy coming back into life made the memory of Jo rejecting play on loop in his mind and some part of him relished that pain, it was like keeping Jo alive in his mind. He didn’t want to admit but the longer he was away from Jo the easier her memory faded into nothing, hanging on to the rejection was better than forgetting her. It also gave him an excuse to drown himself in other woman, and the easiest way to sway them was besides his face clothing made women more likely to take interest in him. Deciding on a navy trousers with a dark green Hawaiian style shirt unbuttoned down to his chest finished with black high-top vans, he accessorized with a black vintage watch and a black chain. Feeling satisfied with himself he walked down to the lounge and searched up places they could go, while waiting for the rest of them.

“Alright, where are we going.” Roman asked the room while adjusting the cuff of his shirt.

“Let’s go to the same place as last night, I got very lucky there.” Wilhelm yelled from somewhere in the house.

Laurie didn’t mind but he wanted to make sure all his friends were in agreement. “Roman do you want to go there.” Roman wasn’t opposed and Rhydian didn’t really care, he was a really easy-going person.

Wilhelm charged into the room with Rhydian right behind him, they walked out of the house and walked towards the bar they had frequented the previous night. Laurie didn’t feel any particular attachment to any place, he was happy to spend time with his friends and relax from his course load. All though he chose to do a masters to run away it didn’t mean he wanted anyone knowing that he truly did work at it, albeit not as hard as he could but still. Before walking into the bar, he checked his phone to make sure he still had time and thankfully only an hour had passed he still had about an hour and a half before meeting Amy. They found a booth and ordered a few beers to start the night.

“I’m going to scout around the bar,” Wilhelm didn’t even finish his drink before he went hunting around. The other three cheered him on and continued their fun.

Laurie was actually happy today; he was completely present in this moment and felt extremely relaxed, he hadn’t forced himself to think about Jo today. The holiday was exactly what he needed and he was lucky to have met such a great group of guys who not only were understanding but extremely supportive. They didn’t judge him for the way he handled the Jo situation, he had also later learned that they had all gone through some type of heartbreak that made them rather sympathetic towards his story.

“I just don’t get how this guy gets lucky every single time.” Rhydian wondered.

Roman pursed his lips in thought and called out their lack of action, “Unlike us, he makes every effort to go for it. We are all kind of lazy.”

Rhydian felt taken aback, a part of him really needed to challenge Roman, “Alright smartass, I’m pretty sure those ladies over there have been eyeing our friend Laurie here since we’ve gotten here.”

Laurie eyes shot up; he wasn’t paying attention before but now he was.

Roman shrugged, “Laurie has this charm about him, I mean look at him.”

Rhydian scoffed,” You’re calling us ugly.”

“Rhydian, lets be honest we are classically handsome, he on the other hand as this tall, dark and handsome vibe.” Roman clearly was giving Laurie too much credit.

“What’s that supposed to mean.” Laurie cried indignantly.

“It means you have a very interesting look about you,” Rhydian responded full of mirth.

Just as Laurie was about to defend himself, his phone chimed alerting him of a new notification. He put his hand to signal he needed to check his phone, opening his phone he saw an email notification. He rarely got emails; he frowned the notification was an email from Jo, he didn’t know if he wanted to read it or not. Curiosity got the better of him, but also he was a master at torturing himself.

The message read:

Hey Teddy,

I know we haven’t spoken in a while and I know you are mad at me for what happened between us, but I truly do miss you. Amy told me she saw you in France, I hope you’re doing well and enjoying yourself. Things haven’t been the same without you, New York is wonderful but I find myself reminiscing about simpler times; remember the day we met well I know you do but anyways I saw these two kids and they reminded me so much of us. I truly do miss you with all my heart, I’m sorry I couldn’t love you the way you wanted.

Love,

Jo

Laurie felt his body fill with painful rage, did she not understand why he ran away. He just wanted to forget her message, she was pandering to him and he absolutely hated it, “Boys we are getting smashed.”

His friends cheered in concern but did not question him, he had a certain glint in his eyes and when you saw that you knew there was no getting to him. The next few hours consisted of knocking back ridiculous amounts of shots and forgetting that he ever knew who Jo March was. He was pretty sure none of his friends were in their right minds either.

Feeling no reservations, he tried to find the two ladies from earlier and have some fun.

“Mademoiselle, voulez-vous passer cette soirée avec moi. “ (Ladies, would you like to spend this evening with me)

The both ladies smiled and introduced themselves,” Je m’appelle Annie et mon amie s’appelle Carol.”

The name of the girl clicked in his head and he realized he got so preoccupied with his nonsense he forgot about Amy. The next few moments passed in a blur, he couldn’t tell anyone how he managed to get to the March house or how he convinced the two ladies to follow him. He kept swaying with them and they kept giggling with him about lord knows what. He squinted his eyes hoping to see in front of him and by magical chance he saw her “Amy,” he yelled.

She didn’t seem happy to see him, that wasn’t fair he did nothing wrong in fact she seemed almost disgusted “I waited an hour for you.”

He chuckled and swayed with the girls, “Opps, I feel caught.” He laughed as if it was the funniest joke he ever heard, but Amy was less than amused.

He felt like the girls at his arms were not helping his case with her and he wanted to be on higher ground in order to make her talk to him, “Ladies, if you please I’ll meet you later.”

He watched her walk up the stairs and completely ignore him, that feeling didn’t settle well in his stomach, “Amy, please,” he begged.

She curled her lip up in disgust and snarled at him making him feel bad about himself, “Do you want to know what I honestly think of you?”

He drunkenly swayed and smiled of course he already knew what she thought of him. She would always be his little Amy, he boyishly asked her,” What do you honestly think of me?”

“I despise you,” she said venomously.

He obviously knew she was joking there was no way she would say that about him. He kept laughing foolishly,” Why do you despise me?”

“You take everything you have for granted, with all your money, power and beauty you chose every opportunity to waste it and portray yourself as this lazy fool.”

“That’s interesting little Amy, since when do you know me so well.” He said mockingly.

“You are the most selfish man I know.” She shook her head in resignation and walked away from him.

He felt himself sober a bit, that assessment was hardly fair, he grabbed her hand he promised with an empty voice, “I’ll be good for you Saint Amy, I’ll be oh so good.”

He noticed her face harden, “What a shame, your hand looks even more delicate than mine, it’s no wonder you’re so shameless. Any proud individual would be ashamed of a hand like that.” He felt her words stab him a little too much, she was being unnecessarily be mean, “And that ring is ridiculous.”

His expression hardened, how dare she belittle his most prized possession “Jo, gave it to me.” He said while protectively clutching his hand close to his heart, he needed to keep Jo safe.

Amy ripped her hand out of his and he let her no longer wanting to be near her, “I feel sorry for you, I truly do. I just wish you wore it better instead of hollowing yourself.”

Chuckling mirthlessly, he promised that “One day, you will feel exactly like this.”

She vehemently disagreed, “If I couldn’t be loved, I’ll be damned sure I’m respected.”

He eyes glinted with revenge, what did she know about love she was still a child herself. She didn’t know what it was like to give someone your whole heart and get it returned to you as if it was worthless. “What have you done that’s so worthwhile, aside from that you’re here to get married.”

He stormed off, he refused to apologize, she had crossed the line.


	5. I Couldn't Even If I Tried (Amy POV)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the support!!! I am ahead of my studying schedule so I was able to write the next chapter. Your patience has been appreciated!!!! I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Just_a_fan37.

Amy snuggled further into her bed, imagining that her blanket could provide her with the comfort she needed. Ever since her argument with Laurie, she felt listless and tired. He attacked her like she was nothing, granted she did first but she wasn’t being cruel just honest. Not like that mattered to him, ugh she shook her head trying to get the memory of that night out of her head. It wasn’t fair that he could still make her feel this way, it wasn’t fair, she had promised herself she would never be broken-hearted over Laurie again, but here she was. Her eyes were puffy from crying, her nose red from irritation and her lips swollen and raw from trying to hold her agony at bay.

The girls kept calling her, she just lacked the energy; she knew they wanted to help her but she refused to let them see her like this over Laurie. It’s not that she didn’t trust them, it’s just she was ashamed for feeling like this because of Laurie, every time she thought she made progress he just dragged her back. She felt like a dying man chasing one last drop of water, she was starved for his attention and that made her feel like a fool. She glared at her ceiling at the thought, nope she wasn’t going to do it again, squinting her eyes in determination; she was going do it, she was going to get a date and close the Laurie chapter of her life forever.

She sprung up and tossed the comforter off of her; she needed to get dresses and convene a special get over a man who is not your man conference. She needed makeup, an outfit, and someone to go on a date with. Grabbing her phone, she texted the girls to call her in an hour for a conference call. She proceeded to take a shower; an hour of self-care was long overdue. She was due for the works, it had been a hot minute since she wore makeup and pretty clothes for herself; for herself being the keyword, she was used to getting ready for events.

Feeling refreshed, she sat at her vanity and set up the video conference call. Wasting no time once they answered, she cut straight to the chase, “I need a date.”

She heard no response from either them and continued, “I can’t keep pining after Laurie. I keep thinking that I’ve moved on from him, but every time he comes back in my life I fall back into old habits. He doesn’t get t break my heart anymore, so I need a date.”

Aimee hummed in agreement, “Oui ma belle, take back your power.”

Elaine didn’t exactly agree, “I’m happy you want to move on, but shouldn’t you tell him you love him.”

Amy felt herself tear up a bit, “I can’t, he’s never going to love me back. I’m pretty sure he somewhat knows.”

“My friend, Thierry, he’s really nice and wouldn’t mind going on a date. Aussi, Il est de Londres (He is from London). His family is French, but they moved there when he was young.” Elaine didn’t agree with Amy, but she didn’t want her to feel sad.

“Oui, it doesn’t have to be serious. Your first date, I’m so excited.” Aimee added, encouraging her. Amy had never put much stock in romance, they were elated she was finally showing some interest.

“Amy, I texted him and he’s willing to go out with you tonight a sept (7). He will pick you up at your house” Elaine informed her.

Amy hesitated slightly that seemed a little too soon, she was about to deny when Aimee interrupted, “Les filles dépêchons (girls let’s hurry), we only have fours hours to get you ready.”

They were so excited for her; she couldn’t deny them; it was rare to find people who were happy for you without any ulterior motives. “Alright, ladies you win.”

She sighed in apprehension and blew out her breath, “What am I wearing?”

The girls started to deliberate what she should wear, she just sat there listening to them; she felt comforted knowing that they were making these decisions because she truly did not know what to do. She was out of her element on this, dating was a very new concept for her. She knew that it wasn’t uncommon to be lacking experience at her age but she still felt very awkward. Amy felt safe going on this blind date because Elaine never did anything without being extra careful. She was confident he would be nothing but cordial, it was a new experience for her which was raising her anxiety.

While they were deep in their conversation, she decided to find a makeup look to try hoping that it would match the outfit they were going to pick. Opening Pinterest, she scrolled through the date night makeup tag. She didn’t have to look far, the first look was perfect, it was natural enough to go with any outfit but dramatic enough to make her look sultry. She grabbed her phone, placed it in view of her closet and settled at her vanity; she emptied out every drawer and placed the makeup in an organized manner on the table.

She started with her eyes; she blended a peach shadow into her crease and added a golden-brown shade onto her upper and lower lid with a white shadow blended into the corner of her eye. She decided against an eyeliner on her upper lid and settled on long dramatic false lashes making her eyes look beautifully mysterious. To finish of her look, she lined her lower lid with a white eyeliner to widen her eyes. Satisfied with her eyes, she continued with her face; she had the perfect contour and highlight routine down to a science, topping it off with a bronzer and peachy blush that blended seamlessly together. She was confident enough to say she looked stunning, well to her standards. She scrunched up her nose in dissatisfaction, the only flaw was her nose, even contour couldn’t help that. Shrugging she moved on, that was one flaw she wouldn’t be able to settle in this lifetime.

“Oh mon dieu, Amy, Tu es ravissante (Oh my god, you look lovely).” Aimee gasped.

Elaine nodded at her in wonder, Amy saw the wheels turning in her head and automatically knew she was in trouble. “You need rouge because you are going to wear the green off the shoulder striped body con dress with your black Louboutin’s. Oh, just wear your hair straight.”

Amy’s brows rose to her hairline, she expected them to choose something more casual. Maybe he was taking her somewhere nice. She hesitantly agreed and got dressed, showing it off to the ladies for approval. They both were happy with the look and hung up.

Now that she was alone, she was really feeling nervous. Her heart was racing, her fingers were tingling, her neck was feeling itchy, she couldn’t stop pacing around her room. She still had two hours until her date, the only thing she could do to calm down was paint. She made her way down to the study where a makeshift art studio had been built for her and set herself to work on her new school project. Before beginning she made sure to put on her apron, she didn’t want to get pain on her outfit.

Amy was so engrossed in her painting; she didn’t even notice the time pass or any of the hustle and bustle of the street that could be seen from the window in the study.

“Hello, Amy!” Laurie said as cheery as he could as he entered the room.

Amy’s heart skipped a beat, but she sighed inwardly. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath, of course, he had to show up when she was trying to forget about him. He always had the best and the worst timing. She would not break and she definitely would no turn around and let him charm his way into her good graces. Amy stood a little bit straighter and hardened her voice. “I don’t want to see you.”

Laurie started pleading, “Amy, oh, please, Amy.” He walked closer to her. “I’m so sorry for how I behaved. Please, forgive me, I made a mistake.”

Amy’s eyes misted a bit as she studied her painting; she heard the beginning of inhibition in his voice and knew he had started drinking. Why did she hope? All he did was for Jo or in reaction to Jo, that man knew how to break her heart. “Have you been drinking?” sighing and grumbling she added, “again.”

Laurie sheepishly replied, “Only a little, it’s almost seven anyways.” He laughed a bit, “You can’t be too hard on me.”

She shook her, “Someone has to do it.”

Laurie wanted to distract her a bit and lift her mood, “So my lovely Raphaella, when do I get an invitation to your gallery opening.”

Amy turns around and very coolly says, “Never.”

Laurie worried at the expression on her face, it broke his heart. “What, why?”

Amy looked down, and because it was Laurie, she had qualms about telling the truth. “I’m a failure, once upon a time art was something, I thought I had immense talent. In reality, I’m no better than an imitation artist, my work has no originality nor does it have passion or hunger. I am a failure, while all my sisters thrive. I am nothing more than a phony. I’m not a beautiful or fashionable as Meg, I am not anywhere near as talented as Jo, I am and will never be as good and as kind as Beth. My peers make leaps and bounds in progress while I’m pulled for the ride like dead weight. My only claim to fame would be to teach.”

Laurie could only stare I shook, too taken aback at her statement, “That’s quite a statement to make at only Twenty-Two years old.”

Amy shrugged, “My home built my grandeur, Rome cleared my eyes and Paris humbled me. What can I say? I am no genius and I will never be one. I’m giving up on my artistic hopes”

That didn’t really sit well we Laurie, “You’re so talented and you have so much energy. Why should you quit? No dreams are out of reach.”

“Talent isn’t genius and no amount of energy will make it so. I want to be great; I don’t want to be nothing. I refuse to accept being common-place, I realize trying is futile.”

“What is genius anyway, who decides, anyone, can be a genius. It’s all a matter of perception.” Laurie said to cheer her up.

“I am of middling talent among the geniuses.” She replied.

Laurie shrugged and pushed his luck, “Well, Raphaella, I request your last bit of foolish endeavours be wasted on me.

Amy laughed a full belly laugh and agreed.

“Now that you’ve decided that you cannot be a famous painter, what are you going to do now?” Laurie asked.

She took a moment to ponder, “I’m going to become either an art teacher for children or a curator at a museum. Maybe find a great love, I put off dating for school so now’s the time to run free.”

Laurie’s eyes shot up and couldn’t help himself, “Is there someone you find worthy?”

Amy smiled ruefully, “No not yet, but my friends set me up on my first adventure tonight.” She took a deep breath feeling slightly unsure, “hopefully, it goes well.”

Laurie pursed his lips, unsure for some reason. He opened his mouth to say something, he didn’t know what but his brain knew. Before he could the doorbell wrung.

Amy jumped up, “Oh, that’s Thierry.” She tried untying her robe, but for some reason, she couldn’t. Her frustration and anxiety were rising. Laurie gently placed his hands on hers to stop her fussing and untied it for her. Her pulse raced at his touch. Feeling the tie loosen, she hooked it on her easel and turned towards Laurie. “How do I look?”

Laurie takes his time looking at her like it’s his first time truly seeing her. His eyes changed almost imperceptibly, he didn’t know what exactly it was, but the haze started to clear a bit. “You look beautiful.” He had to clear his throat as if the words he was about to say had been buried deep. “You are beautiful.”

Amy ducked her head and blushed, and smiled wide at him. She rushed down and went to great Thierry, leaving Laurie to stare at her retreating form. There’s was no looking back for her.


	6. I Couldn’t Even If I Tried (Laurie POV)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this was late, I was having a really hard time writing Laurie!!!!!!!!!! Hopefully, this turned out good, enjoy guys.

Laurie drank so much the night before that he thought that he would surely be hungover this afternoon, but all he felt was regret and shame. The shame of hurting Amy was burning his lungs, his mouth was parched, his mind hazy, everything a blur except for that moment. He could never claim to be a perfect man although he didn’t even feel like a man, he felt more like a child pretending to be more than he was. He let himself be consumed by the forceful memory of Jo that he was willing to burn everything else, that realization left a bitter taste in his mouth. He sat up and pressed an index finger to his forehead, thinking he could just reset the previous night. Thankfully, he woke up in bed alone, so he didn’t do any more stupid things. He needed to make amends no matter the cost she deserved that; he hadn’t been fair to her.

He was pretty sure his friends were going to rip him a new one, and he deserved all of it. Sighing he took his time getting up and made his way to the lounge where all his friends were surprisingly watching TV. “You guys are up early”

“Yeah mate, we all did things we regretted last night.” Rhydian groaned.

Roman smirked, “You, on the other hand, seemed to get lucky.”

Laurie groaned, they clearly forgot about Amy also. He rubbed his palms roughly against his eyes and confessed, “I regret so much, I did the worst thing I could ever do.”

Wilhelm looked confused, “What do you mean?”

“I, um, I got an email from Jo that made me go off the rails a bit.” He paused, hanging his head shamefully, “I started drinking way too much and forgot about Amy and when I finally did, I ended up taking the two girls with me.”

Before he could continue, Roman interjected thinking that Laurie finished his story, “That’s rough!” The other two agreed.

Laurie had the sense to look sheepish, “That wasn’t the worst part. I told the girls I would catch up with them later. I started apologizing to Amy, obviously, she had every right to be mad at me, but then she said something about the ring Jo gave me and I…” He trailed off to ashamed to continue.

“What did you do?” Wilhelm asked.

“I was cruel to her and walked off; she didn’t deserve that it’s not like she said anything that wasn’t true.” He expected them to lay it on him, but they didn’t say anything. “Well”

Roman hesitated, but ultimately decided to just spit it out, “You’re not in love with Jo, and you’re clinging on to it like an excuse, and before you say anything, we are not judging you. Hell, you asked her to marry you, it’s just you didn’t love her as you should. You keep forcing yourself to remember that but I think if you learn to let it go it won’t affect you as much.”

Laurie couldn’t do anything but sigh in resignation, he knew they were right, “You’re right, now I gotta go get dressed and beg for Amy’s forgiveness.”

He quickly got dressed and waved his friends' goodbye, he started to mentally prepare himself to face Amy.

Laurie felt anxious, he was going to have to grovel, which he was prepared to do in all honesty. He just wished he had handled it better; little Amy grew up and became a wonderful woman that he should have treated better. For as long as he could remember she had always been in his corner and he should have been in hers.

He needed to come up with a plan, but first, he needed a drink to take the edge off. He stepped into a bar close to her house, he orders a few shots of vodka to help him out. It also made him a bit more honest; he couldn’t admit this to anyone because he couldn’t even admit it to himself but his thoughts were filled with Amy in a way that no other person had ever filled his thoughts and that scared him. He couldn’t make sense of it all, even Jo didn’t consume him as Amy did; the vodka wasn’t helping it was just making him more paranoid and unhinged. He paid his tab and rushed to her house, if he put it off any longer he would never do it.

He knocked at her door and waited to be let him. He greeted the doorman and made his way to the study where he assumed, she would be working. As luck would have, she was diligently working on a beautiful painting. His breath caught in his throat and his heart slammed in his chest, she was stunning there were no words to describe her. She was effortlessly beautiful, he couldn’t even she was real sometimes, that same feeling that he had when he first saw her again bubbled in him. It was clearing his head, he felt weightless and warm; everything was right in the world.

He shook his head, he would revisit this again later, these thoughts were too heavy to go through now.

“Hello, Amy!” Laurie said as cheery as he could as he entered the room.

She didn’t make any moves to greet him or even turn around and pay him any attention. Her lack of attention didn’t settle right and filled his gut we unease and trepidation. She was being a little cold; he couldn’t get a read on her.

Amy stood a little bit straighter and hardened her voice. “I don’t want to see you.”

He felt relieved, she said something; he wasn’t getting the silent treatment so his case wasn’t completely hopeless. Laurie started pleading, “Amy, oh, please, Amy.” He walked closer to her. “I’m so sorry for how I behaved. Please, forgive me, I made a mistake.”

He heard her sigh, she seemed to get caught up in some thought. He thought it would be wise to wait for her to say something, he’s pretty sure if he interrupts her now, she’ll close up and he’ll never get this chance ever again.

She ignored him and quickly narrowed on his moment of liquid courage, “Have you been drinking?” sighing and grumbling she added, “again.”

Laurie sheepishly replied, “Only a little, it’s almost seven anyways.” He laughed a bit, “You can’t be too hard on me.” At least she was focusing on him a bit, he could do this, they were going to make it through this rough patch.

She shook her head, “Someone has to do it.”

Laurie wanted to distract her a bit and lift her mood, “So my lovely Raphaella when do I get an invitation to your gallery opening.”

Amy turns around and very coolly says, “Never.”

Laurie worried at the expression on her face, it broke his heart. “What, why?” Art was her passion, ever since she was young she would marvel at the artist that had left their mark on this world. Amy was confident even when she wasn’t this felt out of character and that made him anxious.

Amy looked down and answered him. “I’m a failure, once upon a time art was something, I thought I had immense talent. In reality, I’m no better than an imitation artist, my work has no originality nor does it have passion or hunger. I am a failure, while all my sisters thrive. I am nothing more than a phony. I’m not a beautiful or fashionable as Meg, I am not anywhere near as talented as Jo, I am not and will never be as good and as kind as Beth. My peers make leaps and bounds in progress while I’m pulled for the ride like dead weight. My only claim to fame would be to teach.”

Laurie could only stare in shock, too taken aback at her statement. She was more than all her sisters combined; how could she not see it? If Jo was talented then she was relentless, if Meg was beautiful then she was effortlessly ethereal and if Beth was good then Amy was the voice of reason. It hurt that she didn’t even know how unique she was. You could wander this earth a million times over and never encounter another Amy that he was sure of. “That’s quite a statement to make at only Twenty-Two years old.”

Amy shrugged, “Homebuilt my grandeur, Rome cleared my eyes and Paris humbled me. What can I say? I am no genius and I will never be one. I’m giving up on my artistic hopes”

That didn’t really sit well with Laurie, “You’re so talented and you have so much energy. Why should you quit? No dreams are out of reach.”

“Talent isn’t genius and no amount of energy will make it so. I want to be great; I don’t want to be anything. I refuse to accept being common-place, I realize trying is futile.” She reasoned.

“What is genius anyway, who decides, anyone, can be a genius. It’s all a matter of perception.” Laurie said to cheer her up.

“I am of middling talent among the geniuses.” She replied.

Laurie shrugged and pushed his luck, “Well, Raphaella, I request your last bit of foolish endeavours be wasted on me.

Amy laughed a full belly laugh and agreed.

“Now that you’ve decided that you cannot be a famous painter, what are you going to do now?” Laurie asked.

She took a moment to ponder, “I’m going to become either an art teacher for children or a curator at a museum. Maybe find a great love, I put off dating for school so now’s the time to run free.”

That made him pause, she was going on a date? More importantly, why did that leave a sour taste in his mouth and filled him with anger? Laurie’s eyes shot up and couldn’t help himself, “Is there someone you find worthy?”

Amy smiled ruefully, “No not yet, but my friends set me up on my first adventure tonight.” She took a deep breath feeling slightly unsure, “hopefully, it goes well.”

Laurie pursed his lips, unsure for some reason. He opened his mouth to say something, he didn’t know what but his brain knew. Before he could the doorbell wrung.

Amy jumped up, “Oh, that’s Thierry.” She tried untying her robe, but for some reason, she couldn’t. Her frustration and anxiety were rising.

Something got a hold of him and told him to touch her, Laurie gently placed his hands on hers to stop her fussing and untied it for her. He didn’t want to let go if he let go, she was going to walk out on him. He paused and gently brushed his hands along her waist, pretending he was letting go of the ties when he just wanted to make this moment last longer.

Feeling the tie loosen, she hooked it on her easel and turned towards him and asked. “How do I look?”

Laurie takes his time looking at her like it’s his first time truly seeing her. His eyes changed almost imperceptibly, he didn’t know what exactly it was, but the haze started to clear a bit. “You look beautiful.” He had to clear his throat as if the words he was about to say had been buried deep. “You are beautiful.” She was beautiful, she was so, so beautiful, there was no comparison.

This was what love was, this was real, this was better than anything he ever felt in his life.

Amy ducked her head and blushed, and smiled wide at him. She rushed down and went to great Thierry, leaving Laurie to stare at her retreating form. There’s was no looking back for her.

She was taking his heart with her and she didn’t even know it. Karma was the only beast that could conquer the world; he forcefully gave Jo his heart with every moment they spent but Amy took his heart and he never even noticed.


	7. Hopefully Moving On (Amy)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay guys!!! I'm trying to finish my degree so I've been taking a summer semester and the material is coming too fast for me to be able to spend too much time writing. I promise I am diligently working on chapters!!!! Thank you so much for all the love and support. For the love of every that is holy please stay safe!

She giggled in her hand; she doesn’t remember the last time she met someone so interesting. He was well travelled, he was successful, he was funny. She could go on and on about his qualities but something about him seemed to perfect. Thierry was what you would call classically handsome, he had brown stubble covering the lower half of his face, the most striking green eyes she had ever seen with wispy lashes protecting them, full light red pouty lips, and medium length chestnut hair that had been beautifully slicked back.

He came to pick her up in a car, opened the door for her, pulled out her chair for her and he was genuinely interested in the things she was saying. If this was what a first date was supposed to be then this was perfect.

He chose a nice restaurant that had a calming ambiance that wasn’t too romantic, there were beautiful royal blue velvet seats that gave the ultimate feeling of luxury, low hanging crystal chandeliers, drapery along the walls. The whole restaurant reassembled an old bar from the twenties. She could definitely see herself bringing the girls here. Thierry was proving to be a very nice first date.

Her musings were interrupted by Thierry, “Amy, I have to be honest, I’m not really looking for anything serious right now. You’re wonderful and everything, I don’t want to lead you on.” He confessed regretfully.

She sighed in relief hearing him say that, the bravado she displayed earlier with the girls had been falling steadily throughout the night. As nice as he was, she couldn’t see this going anywhere, it didn’t feel right but he would make an excellent friend. “I’m not going to lie; I’m relieved to hear you say that. I impulsively told the girls that I needed to get out there but now that I’m here I feel like I rushed into this.”

They both laughed at each other in understanding.

“Amy this evening was lovely and I wouldn’t’ mind seeing you again to just hang out.”

Her friends were right he truly was a good guy, “I’d like that a lot. Thank you for being honest with me.” She paused selecting her words carefully, “If you don’t mind my asking, is there a reason you don’t want anything serious.”

He smiled softly, “I spent so much of my life trying to do what was expected of me that I just want to live a little before having to fall into responsibility. I was in a committed relationship a few years ago and everyone expected us to get married right away. The relationship didn’t feel like our choice anymore but more like a contract; I’m just happy being committed to myself.”

“Uh, I like that being committed to yourself. I was really feeling lost about my future, I just realized that the path that I wanted to follow wasn’t right for me. I’ve been forcing myself to keep going but I just realized that I’m going to get there by knowing myself.” Thierry was super intelligent she couldn’t help but admire him.

“You know some part of me wishes I was looking for a relationship, you’re really something incredible Amy.” He said in wonder.

Amy blushed deeply, “We got the timing wrong.”

He laughed in agreement.

They both ended the night fairly quickly after that, he dropped her home and promised to call her to hang out again later. She smiled to herself as she waved him goodbye, if this was a couple of years down the line, they could’ve had something. If anything, this night taught her that she needed work on herself. If she kept running back to Laurie she was never going to move forward. She wasn’t going to let herself do this anymore, time for a Laurie detox. Once she was done with his painting that chapter of her life would be over forever.

She felt more empowered than she had since Laurie came crashing back into her life and she owed it all to Thierry.

She had spent a few days sporadically working on the painting for Laurie. They were supposed to meet today at the park to continue working together. Amy was hoping to finish the painting before he left for London. He had only two days left, they decided to meet up at the park today to finish up the painting and hang out a bit.

It would be a lie to say she wasn’t excited to meet him, but she was. After he left, she doubted she was going to get to spend any time with him or that he would contact her ever again. Once he left, he would be on his way completely forgetting about her. A part of her was fine with that and made peace with this fact; another deeper hidden part of her felt tortured that they would never amount to anything. She would just have to make her peace with this.

Secretly she wanted to stop him in his track like Jo did that night of their senior prom. That look on his face was featured in many of her daydreams. Jo had been wearing a nice simple burgundy dress that softly brought out her curves, she looked regal that night. Her sister looked ethereal that night, she was sure no man could resist her charm, well had she been interest in any of them she would’ve been in a relationship in high school. Jo had waited until she met Friedrich and she swears it was the best decision of her life, she claimed that he was perfect that he forced her to be the best version of herself. Amy thought that was sweet and was really happy for her. Anyways, Laurie had come to pick her up and they were all sitting in the living room when in classic fashion Jo descended the staircase with Meg looking like a dream and she would never forget his reaction. His eyes glistened in adoration, she was sure his breath hitched and in turn assumed his heart had skipped a beat, his mouth was open in disbelief. It was a look she would never forget.

She shook her head out of her reverie and quickly got ready and made her way to the park to meet him.

Amy placed her picnic blanket on the grass and set her chair on top. She set herself up to paint, it was beautifully sunny and she really felt peaceful in this moment.

Concentrating on her painting she startles when Laurie launches himself on the blanket.

“Laurie, you could’ve ruined the painting,” Amy exclaims in mild annoyance.

Laurie smiles boyishly, “I could never, you are much too talented.” Feeling relaxed he rolls around on the blanket trying to make Amy laugh.

She looks at him in warning trying to work and make a beautiful painting for him. Amy frowns a bit unable to really focus without getting her thoughts off of her chest. “Laurie, when will you go work for your grandfather. He has patiently been waiting for you to take over his business. I understand that you are pursuing higher education, but it will not give you the experience that your grandfather will.” She pointedly stared at him.

He pouted at her, “I promise as soon as my degree is done, I will go see him.”

Amy frowned a bit; she could understand his hesitation to go see grandfather. On the other hand, he was far too talented to be wasting away his life. “Laurie, I understand but you keep saying that you will go after your degree. I keep seeing you parting on your Instagram, I know your young but you won’t be young forever and unlike many others, you have an advantage.”

“Amy, I don’t really have an answer for you. I’m figuring thins out at my own pace.” He explained flippantly.

Amy couldn’t comprehend how he was so blasé about his life, “Your grandfather has been patiently waiting for you. He’s no getting any younger and he expects to relieve him, so why don’t you do it?”

He pondered a bit and grinned hoping to get a rise out of her, “Natural depravity. I mean who wants to live a life following a formula.”

“You mean natural Indolence. Which is not something you should brag about.” Amy said while pointedly staring at him.

“Amy, I’ll only be a burden on him if I go now, so I rather spend as much time as I have left here to plague you with my presence and consume all your time.” Like a feline he rises up and eyes glinting at her settles his head on her knees using her as a pillow. He shuts his eyes and breathes in deep the beautiful Parisian air.

Her breath hitched, she hoped he didn’t notice. Her heart couldn’t settle, the heat of his body felt warm on her body, his hair fragrant like pure cedar making her mind hazy. Rarely she was physically close to Laurie.

“In any case, you actually appreciate my presence which I believe makes you happy. I mean Paris has kept you locked up like Rapunzel.”

“I beg to differ.” She replies with snark.

Pouting he ignores her words and stares at her.

Amy dutifully continues her painting trying not to feel unnerved with the heat of his stare. She raises her head in confidence not willing to let him affect her, “What are you doing?”

“Looking at you, I quite like the view.” He responds cheekily.

She rolls her eyes of course he wouldn’t take her seriously. “I mean have you thought about what you are going to do. Are you going to keep wasting your life away?”

“With my life, or while I’m here?”

“Yes, Laurie with your life. I know what you plan to do in Paris, you and your friends are going to be drinking to oblivion.”

“I’ve been taking acting classes; I’m aiming for a lead role. Watch me become a Hollywood star.” Laurie crossed his arms and snuggled closer into her lap.

“Figures.” She murmurs, he elects to ignore her remark. “That’s a waste of time and you know it. You have no passion for acting, you are just trying to fill your time.”

Laurie groaned, “Ugh, Amy, my goodness, tell me what I must do with my life since you are my voice of reason.”

She pauses her painting and gently grabs his face. He slowly peels his eyes open, “Go back and work with your grandfather, go make yourself a bigger man than he ever was. He is a good man and you have the chance to be a better man.” No breaking eye contact, she wills him to understand what her eyes are silently saying; stop wasting your life for Jo and live for yourself.

She smiles softly letting go of his face and grabs the painting placing it in front of him, “Here”.

Laurie carefully studies the painting please with her depiction of him. He grabs onto the painting and feels a paper stuck onto the back. Behind it is a sketch of him, Amy’s eyes widen in recognition, she had forgotten that she placed it there for reference.

Still awed by the work she had previously done, he asks her in wonder, “When did you draw this one?”

Secretly pleased with his reaction she bashfully answers him, “Remember when we went to the beach, where you introduced us to Fred. He was the reason I decided to go to Paris.”

She laughs not noticing the smile slipping from his face. “Speaking of Fred, how was your date the other night?”

Amy thinking back fondly of their youth thinks nothing of his question and absentmindedly answers him, “It was lovely, he was a real gentleman. As first dates go it was definitely one for the books.”

Laurie frowns suddenly unable to hold it in anymore “Don’t go on another date with him.” He winces a bit realizing it sounds like an order.

“What?” She whispers in shock.

“Don’t go on another date with him.” He says with conviction this time hoping she understand his meaning.

“Why” She seethes feeling dread grip her chest in a vice grip. Getting up from the chair, Laurie’s head drops onto the blanket.

“You know why…” he trails off lamely rising while rubbing at his head. He gently grabs her arms and pulls her closer to him.

“No,” she whispers barely audibly, “You can’t say that, you can’t, that’s too mean. Laurie that’s cruel, take it back.” She whimpers feeling the onslaught of tears threatening to be released. She tries to pull herself away from him while avoiding looking in his eyes.

He follows her head trying to catch her eyes, “Why?”

She rips her arms out of his and backs away to a safe distance. She grabs her arms trying to hold herself together. “I have been second to Jo my whole life in everything.” She breathes in deeply no longer able to stop her tears from falling. “I will not be the person you settle for just because you cannot have her.”

Her voice raises in agony, “I won’t do it, not when…” Amy hesitates but ultimately cannot hold it in, “Not when I’ve spent my entire life loving you.”

Amy wipes her tears and rushes out of the park not waiting for Laurie to respond. How dare he? He couldn’t just decide he wanted her after ignoring her for so long. She was never going to let her be his substitute for Jo. She was going to find a love that was hers not accept a love that Jo left behind.


	8. Hopefully Moving On (Laurie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last dual perspective chapter of the story before we get into the fun part!!!!  
> Thank you for reading and sticking with me thus far, I have some special things planned for the last chapters.

Laurie watched from the window as she stepped into that moderately handsome man's car. He didn’t see what was so special about him that he got the honour of her first date. He didn’t even bring her tulips, her favourite flowers. At least he opened her door for her but still, he wasn’t good enough for her. Her smile was more nervous than excited, would it kill him to try and ease her mind. He scowled, why was she going on a date with this weirdo?

Safe to say, he was in a devil of a mood on his way home. He couldn’t even focus on the random TV show he had put on to distract himself.

Normally Rhydian would let Laurie stew in a mood but he normally was angsty over Jo and he hasn’t heard a thing about Jo in a while. “What’s got you in a mood.”

Laurie halfheartedly hummed in his direction.

“Earth to Laurie.” Rhydian waved his hand in front of his eyes.

“Oh, What.” He blinked out of his stupor.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Laurie sighed, “Amy went on a date.”

Rhydian confused didn’t understand why Laurie was bothered, “I don’t see the problem.”

“I’ve fallen for her,” He confessed.

“Are you sure?”

“I, uh, yeah. What do you mean if I’m sure?” He frowned; how could he not be sure?

“Don’t take this wrong way but weren’t you obsessed with Jo?” Rhydian winced as he spoke.

“Honestly, I don’t think I ever loved Jo; I loved the idea of her. I was clinging on to her because I was too afraid of growing up. With Jo it was like time stopped in childhood but with Amy, I want to grow I want to be the best version of myself. She forces me to want more for myself. I want more, I don’t want to live in the past, I want the future. She’s nothing short of amazing, what I feel for her doesn’t even compare to how I felt about Jo.” Laurie knew he was meant to be with Amy, there was no other for him. He just had to tell her.

“I’m happy for you!” Rhydian was proud of his friend for growing up.

“What are you happy about?” Roman wondered as he entered the family room.

“Laurie is in love with Amy,” Rhydian exclaimed joyously.

Roman stood there gaping forcing a clueless Wilhelm to knock into him. “Hey, what’s going on, why are you blocking the way?” Wilhelm growls in annoyance.

Roman snaps a quick meaningless retort and focuses on Laurie, “So you’re serious about Amy.”

Wilhelm gaped at Laurie as well in surprise but quickly bounced back, “So how are you going to get your girl?”

“She’s on a date, what am I supposed to do?” He had no ground to stand on if she was truly was interested in this guy.

“Laurie, you won’t know if you don’t try and, in any case, if you truly love her you will show her,” Roman stated.

Hearing his friends encouraging words, he knew he would have to convince her they were worth in the remaining time they had left.

They were scheduled to meet each other this afternoon and he was happier than he had been in a while. Something loving Amy was liberating in a way that made his heart sing. They had met a few times here and there to work on the painting but she had promised that today would be the last time. This was his last chance to show her they were meant to be.

There was a certain pep in his step as he made his way towards the park they had promised to meet each other.

Laurie was overjoyed seeing her in her element, did she really not know how breathtaking she was. The sunlight perfectly illuminated her, her eyes squinting in concentration with her tongue peeking out of her mouth. He could have left her in peace but he couldn’t help himself. He launched himself towards her legs and disturbed her peace.

“Laurie, you could’ve ruined the painting,” Amy exclaims in mild annoyance; something about bothering her filled him with great satisfaction.

Laurie smiles boyishly at her, she didn’t give her talent enough credit, “I could never, you are much too talented.” Feeling relaxed he rolls around on the blanket trying to make her laugh. Ultimately, he is content just laying on her lap surrounded by her scent. He never knew peace until he let himself be consumed by her.

She looks at him in warning, he flashes his eyes in surrender unwilling to break their peace. He notices her frown but makes no move to engage. “Laurie, when will you go work for your grandfather. He has patiently been waiting for you to take over his business. I understand that you are pursuing higher education, but it will not give you the experience that your grandfather will.” She pointedly stared at him.

He pouted at her; did she not want to spend time with him? His time in Paris was coming to an end and all she could do was talk about his grandfather, “I promise as soon as my degree is done, I will go see him.”

Amy frowned a bit; she seemed to be frowning quite a bit whenever she saw him. He didn’t like that very much. Amy was beautiful but a smile on her face made her radiant, “Laurie, I understand but you keep saying that you will go after your degree. I keep seeing you parting on your Instagram, I know your young but you won’t be young forever and unlike many others, you have an advantage.” She kept track of him, that filled his heart with warmth, he knew he had many followers but none of them gave him a thrill as Amy did. He smiled curling his lips in satisfaction. Just like a cat catching cream.

Laurie took a moment thinking about what to say next not understanding what she could want, “Amy, I don’t really have an answer for you. I’m figuring thins out at my own pace.” He explained flippantly.

He was unable to deter her verbal assaults with his answers if anything he saw the challenge rise in her eyes. “Your grandfather has been patiently waiting for you. He’s no getting any younger and he expects to relieve him, so why don’t you do it?”

He had no qualms about working for his grandfather, when he ran away from Jo he had no plans on returning but now that he was maturing he was starting to catch the seeds that Amy was planting, “Natural depravity. I mean who wants to live a life following a formula.”

“You mean natural Indolence. Which is not something you should brag about.” Amy said while glaring at him, Laurie was completely unbothered by it. As long as her eyes were focused on him he wasn’t going to complain.

“Amy, I’ll only be a burden on him if I go now, so I rather spend as much time as I have left here to plague you with my presence and consume all your time.” Like a feline, he rises up and eyes glinting at her settles his head on her knees using her as a pillow. He shuts his eyes and breathes in deep the beautiful Parisian air.

There was no better place to be than with her. Laurie had hesitated to get physically close to her, he was craving the fix that only she could provide. He knew he was being forward and crossing lines, she wasn’t committed to anyone to his knowledge therefore he felt no guilt.

“In any case, you actually appreciate my presence which I believe makes you happy. I mean Paris has kept you locked up like Rapunzel.”

“I beg to differ.” She replies with snark.

Pouting he ignores her words and stares at her. Goodness, she was beautiful, he doubts the sunrise could ever compare to her. Golden hair shinning like pure gold, blue eyes as vast as the skies, coloured cheeks reminiscent of roses.

“What are you doing?” She asked taking him out of his admiration.

“Looking at you, I quite like the view.” He responds cheekily, satisfied with the blush he spied deepening on her cheeks.

She rolls her eyes at him in disbelief but he never lied when he complimented her. “I mean have you thought about what you are going to do. Are you going to keep wasting your life away?”

“With my life, or while I’m here?”

“Yes, Laurie with your life. I know what you plan to do in Paris, you and your friends are going to be drinking to oblivion.”

“I’ve been taking acting classes; I’m aiming for a lead role. Watch me become a Hollywood star.” Laurie crossed his arms and snuggled closer into her lap. She was so soft and silky.

“Figures.” She murmurs, he elects to ignore her remark. “That’s a waste of time and you know it. You have no passion for acting, you are just trying to fill your time.”

Laurie groaned, “Ugh, Amy, my goodness, tell me what I must do with my life since you are my voice of reason.”

She pauses her painting and gently grabs his face. His heart skips a literal beat, he didn’t want her to let go. She held him so gently that his heart clenched, some part of her must love him as he loves her. He slowly peels his eyes open, “Go back and work with your grandfather, go make yourself a bigger man than he ever was. He is a good man and you have the chance to be a better man.” No breaking eye contact, their eyes remain locked together. He couldn’t look away even if he wanted to.

She smiles softly letting go of his face and grabs the painting placing it in front of him, “Here”.

Laurie carefully studies the painting pleased with her depiction of him. He grabs onto the painting and feels a paper stuck onto the back. Behind it is a sketch of him, she sketched him. Laurie knew that any love he had for Jo paled in comparison to this, he wanted to see himself through her eyes always.

Still awed by the work she had previously done, he asks her in wonder, “When did you draw this one?”

She bashfully answers him, “Remember when we went to the beach, where you introduced us to Fred. He was the reason I decided to go to Paris.”

Hearing Fred’s name his mood soured, the memory of her leaving him for a date. He tried to school his face but it made him look even more upset. “Speaking of Fred, how was your date the other night?”

Amy doesn’t catch his meaning, “It was lovely, he was a real gentleman. As first dates go it was definitely one for the books.”

Laurie frowns suddenly unable to hold it in anymore, no one would be able to give her what he could, “Don’t go on another date with him.” He winces a bit realizing it sounds like an order.

“What?” She whispers in shock.

“Don’t go on another date with him.” He says with conviction this time hoping she understand his meaning. He wouldn’t do it; he wouldn’t watch her date other people if they could be together.

“Why” She seethes and gets up from the chair, his head drops onto the blanket. He winces at the sound it made hitting the ground.

What did she mean by why? Of course, she knew about his feelings for her. “You know why…” he trails off lamely rising while rubbing at his head. He gently grabs her arms and pulls her closer to him, mind a little hazy from having her in his arms.

“No,” she whispers barely audibly, “You can’t say that you can’t, that’s too mean. Laurie that’s cruel, take it back.” She whimpers feeling the onslaught of tears threatening to be released. She tries to pull herself away from him while avoiding looking in his eyes. He wasn’t trying to be cruel, he knew they both felt the same way.

He follows her head trying to catch her eyes, “Why?”

She rips her arms out of his increasing the distance between them. He tries to reach out again but she wraps her arms around herself closing him off. “I have been second to Jo my whole life in everything.” She breathes in deeply, breaking his heart along with hers. “I will not be the person you settle for just because you cannot have her.”

Her voice raises in agony, “I won’t do it, not when…” Amy hesitates but ultimately cannot hold it in, “Not when I’ve spent my entire life loving you.”

Laurie stares dumbfounded; she loves him. She loves him. She loves him.

As happy as he was about that, he couldn’t believe that she thought he was settling for her. There was no other like her if anything Jo couldn’t even compare to her.


	9. Maybe it just wasn’t meant to be. (Amy POV)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Everyone
> 
> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE SUPPORT.  
> I know I made you all wait a little too long ( a very long time), and I am so sorry for that. I was rushing through my degree because of COVID and obviously teachers decided since we were at home we had time to do more work than normal, but I am done now and ready to give Amy and Laurie the next chapter of their love story. I'm not gonna lie chapter 9 has been months in the making, I just didn't know how to write it. This was the version I liked best so I hope you guys enjoy it and if you don't that's also okay.

Amy cried in secret for days, she didn’t tell her friends, her sisters, or Aunt March what transpired between her and Laurie. What was she going to say, he confessed, and she wasn’t happy that he loved her? She could just imagine her friends being confused. Her sisters wouldn’t understand, and Aunt March would just be confused. Amy was stuck dealing with these complicated feelings all on her own.

She always dreamed of that moment when Laurie would see her as something more than Jo’s annoying little sister, when it happened it real life though it felt anything but joyful. Hearing those words come out of his mouth made her feel so worthless and alone. How could he just decided that he loved her when he spent all this time mourning Jo’s rejection, it just didn’t settle right. How dare he! How dare he make her feel like this! How dare he take her dream and make it feel like a nightmare! How dare he break her heart only to put it back together! How dare he! The duality of her feelings was just nightmarish, on one hand she wanted to run into his arms on the other more realistic and sensible hand she needed to distance herself from him.

All these thoughts had kept her up well past her bedtime, her only consolation was that she had evaded the sandman on a Friday night. There were no obligations waiting for her on Saturday, Aunt March would not wake nor would she wake herself. Obsessing over Laurie had taken up way too much of her time, sanity and her beauty sleep.

She just couldn’t decide if loving him was worth the risk, so she made a pros and cons list. Con, he loved Jo. Con, he spent years getting over Jo. Con, he only told her he loved her because she was dating. Con, he was wasting his life. Pro, he loved her.

The real question was, did him loving her really negate everything else?

She wanted to say no, but her heart said yes. What about Jo, did she really not love Laurie? Did she not want him back all these years?

She couldn’t just continue to lie in her bed and contemplate these feelings, if she didn’t take action, she would forever stew in a soup of confusing feelings. Amy knew what she had to do, the only person that could help her was Jo. It would take most of her courage if not all to confess what she had been feeling for years.

Amy sat up on her bed and leaned against the headboard, slowly breathing in and out she tried to settle her racing heart. Counting down from ten, she concentrated on the rise and fall of her chest clearing her mind of all anxious thoughts. Once calm, she reached for her phone and searched for the current time in New York. In Jos time zone it was eleven in the night, her calling might be an inconvenience, but it wouldn’t be a terrible imposition. Besides, Jo would be thrilled that she called her for advice.

She patiently waits as the phone rings, making sure not to give away any of the distress that she is currently feeling.

Jo thankfully answer not even a minute later. Amy notices that her sister is bundled up in her bed with her fuzzy robe on, her hair askew around her bun with her glasses perched on the tip of her nose. She smiles warmly at the image of Jo; she truly and deeply missed her older sister. It reminds her of the simpler times when the four of them would cuddle in her bed and chat with each other all night making sure to look out for their parents, so they didn’t get caught.

“Amy, is everything okay?” Jo asked with concern written all over her face, it was too early in the morning for Amy to be calling her.

She tries to put on a brave face but tears well up in her eyes and her voice bubbles up a few sobs releasing the emotions she has tried to keep in the privacy of her heart for so long, a soft No is uttered out of her mouth.

“What’s wrong? Amy, love, please don’t cry.” Jo says will sitting up straighter; her brow furrowing in concern.

Amy releases a laugh calming slightly at the frazzled concern marring her sisters face, “I miss you and so much has happened here in so little time, I feel like I can’t talk to anyone about everything I’m going through.” She pauses a bit unsure how to say the next few sentences, “The only person who I should be speaking about this in any case is you.” Her eyes widen in anticipation, she worries Jo will misunderstand her.

Jo sat there for a moment trying to process the words coming out of her baby sisters’ mouth, “Me, why me?”

She barely has a chance to hesitate before the words start spewing out into existence. Amy proceeds to tell Jo of everything that transpired between her and Laurie she spares no details.

“Jo, I know this sounds bizarre and I promise I did not pursue anything I was just excited to see him.” She adds to ensure that Jo is aware she did not cross any lines that she actively made sure to hide every feeling she had for him and even tried dating to get over him. “I’m so tired, I’ve been in love with him since the day we met. Before I even knew what love was, and every day since meeting I fell deeper and deeper into this feeling without meaning it. I knew he was in love with you, but I never knew if you were scared to love him or truly did not love him. And I swear I did everything I could to get away from romantic feelings.”

Jo smiles at her phone, her sister was so kind hearted and didn’t even know it, “Amy, you are so concerned with doing the right thing in regards to my feelings that you didn’t even question if you were hurting yourself or not. I don’t love Laurie, I’m not scared of loving him, I just don’t love him. Laurie will always be my best friend but he’s not my love. When you love someone, they get to see every part of you, I could never be vulnerable with him or open and honest with my deeper feelings. That’s when I knew I could never love him, and Laurie never loved me. I don’t know why he thought he did, he was just holding on to his youth.” Jo notices the steady release of tension in Amy’s shoulders. She feels good about talking to Amy about these feelings that were buried for far too long, she never really felt the need to explain rejecting Laurie or express these emotions. The only sadness she felt was losing the close relationship she had once had with Laurie.

“Oh,” Amy whispers speechless at the words her sister confessed.

“Amy, do you still love him?” Jo asks hoping to get Amy to confess what she really feels.

She smiles that soft little smile that is only reserved for the good thoughts of Laurie, “I do, even with all his flaws I do.”

“There’s your answer, nothing else matters. You love him and he loves you, forget everything else and just be happy.” Jo concludes, “Go to bed and confess your feelings when you wake up. And don’t pretend you slept I can see your bags as clear as if you were standing in front of me.” She says trying to be ster.

Amy laughs carefree for the first time in days and agree with her. They both hang up, leaving Amy to finally succumb to her exhaustion.

For the first time since she saw Laurie in Paris, she was able to have a restful night of sleep. She didn’t feel any lingering guilt, or any angst nothing. She felt at peace. Amy was glad she had the foresight to set an alarm last night for noon, she knew she was supposed to feel dead tired but, in all honesty, she felt good really good.

She felt giddy after days of deliberation she had finally come to the realization that she wanted to try and make things work with Laurie. He loved her and he tried that’s all that mattered; Jo had really put things in perspective for her.

She quickly got dressed and rushed into the parlor where Aunt March sat drinking a cup of tea.

“Good morning Aunt March, isn’t a lovely day.” Amy radiated pure joy at the moment even rain couldn’t ruin her mood.

Her aunt smiled warmly, “Good morning dear, you just missed the Laurence boy.”

“I did, I didn’t know he was here.” Amy stated in confusion, why did Laurie come here and why didn’t he come and talk to her?

“His poor grandfather, he must be so disappointed to have an heir who wants nothing to do with the family business. It’s not as if he’s getting any younger, the poor man must be tired.” Her aunt said with pity.

As much as Amy sometimes agreed with the some of what her Aunt was saying, she knew in her heart that once he found his footing, he would be a great man “Oh, When will he back?”

Her aunt fixes her with a look that is disappointing as well as pitying which makes her stomach feel queasy. “He’s gone to London. He prattled on about becoming a man worthy of his grandfathers’ pride, but that remains to be seen. Did you need to discuss something with him?”

Amy leaned against the table closest to her a little in shock, she thought everything had been lining up for her and Laurie and now it seemed like chaos reigned supreme once again. She felt off kilter, this wasn’t supposed to happen. “I suppose not.”

Aunt march quirked her brow in disbelief, but Amy gave no indication of her inner turmoil, “I hope you enjoy your tea Aunt March; I’m going to go finish my assignment.”

She quietly rushed into her room trying not to hyperventilate, it took everything in her to not scream out in pain. It wasn’t fair, he basically confessed his love to her and then up and left without a word. What was she supposed to do with all these feelings? Why didn’t he call her? Should she call him and give him a good trashing?

The room was spinning, her eyes were watering, her breath ragged. Was this a panic attack?

No, no, no, she wasn’t going to panic or cry, she was going to channel her anger. She needed answers and she needed them now.

She roughly typed his number into her phone and waited impatiently for him to answer. One ring, no answer, two rings, no answer, three rings, she started cursing his name into the speaker. On the fourth ring she heard the dial tone, this man clearly was out of his mind if he thought he could send her to voicemail.

She tried dialing him again, but the bugger had turned off his phone.

Fine if he did not answer her, she would leave him a voicemail. She wanted to yell at him until her voice was hoarse and her tears stopped flowing but honestly at this point, she just felt deflated. Her first love ended before it began a long time ago and now her first love left her on the ledge.

Maybe it just was not meant to be.

Amy placed her phone delicately against her ear, patiently waiting for the dial tone. Softly whispering into the receiver, “I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

She could blame Laurie all she wanted but she knew that she probably had broken his heart as well. They both were to blame for treating love as a compromise rather than a special gift. Some part of her could not push all the blame on Laurie and that made her misery that much deeper.


End file.
